Fiber to chip optical coupler

ABSTRACT

An optical connector for optical coupling a plurality of optical fibers to a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) comprises a plurality of fiber trenches; a plurality of tiled flat mirrors; and a plurality of optical focusing elements; wherein each of the plurality of fiber trenches adjoins a corresponding titled flat mirror of the plurality of titled flat mirrors; and wherein each of the plurality of titled flat mirrors is placed in proximity to a corresponding optical focusing element of the plurality of optical focusing elements.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/878,591 filed on Oct. 8, 2015, now allowed. The contents of theabove-referenced Applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to coupling an optical fiber toa substrate, and more particularly to coupling the optical fiber to anoptoelectronic integrated circuit (IC).

BACKGROUND

Communications systems and datacenters are required to handle massivedata at ever increasing speeds and ever decreasing costs. To meet thesedemands, optical fibers and optical ICs (such as, a photonic integratedcircuit (PIC) or integrated optical circuit) are used together with highspeed electronic ICs. A PIC is a device that integrates multiplephotonic functions (similar to an electronic IC or RF IC). PICs aretypically fabricated using indium phosphide or silicon oxide (SiO₂),which allows for the integration of various optically active and passivefunctions on the same circuit.

The coupling of PICs to optical fibers is not as well advanced as theintegration and/or coupling of electronic ICs. Specifically, thechallenges facing optical connections are different and much morecomplex than connecting electronic ICs to, for example, a printedcircuit board (PCB). Some difficulties are inherent in wavelength,signal losses, assembly tolerance, and polarization characteristics ofoptical packaging.

Existing solutions utilize various techniques for connecting opticalfibers to PICs. One technique suggests using various types of buttconnections to the edge and surface fiber connections a PIC. The butt ofa fiber can be connected to a planar waveguide at the edge of a PIC.This technique is efficient only if the cross sectional of thepropagating mode of the fiber and the waveguide areas of the fiber coreand the waveguide are of similar size. In most cases, this techniquesuffers from poor assembly tolerance.

An improved technique suggests laying a section of fiber on top of thesurface of the PIC where the end of the fiber has been cut at an angleto form an angled tip. The angled tip has a flat surface which reflectsa light beam down to a waveguide grating coupler disposed on theintegrated circuit. The light beam is reflected off the reflectivesurface of the angled tip by total internal reflection. The waveguidegrating coupler is designed to accept the slightly diverging light beamfrom the reflective surface of the angled tip of the fiber. The lightbeam can also propagate through the fiber to a chip coupler in theopposite direction, up from the substrate through the waveguide gratingand into an optical fiber after bouncing off the reflective surface ofthe angled tip. This technique further requires coating on the exteriorof the reflective surface with epoxy.

Among others, all of the above-noted techniques require precisealignment and active positioning of the optical fiber to the PIC. Assuch, current techniques suffer from poor and very tight alignmenttolerance to gain an efficient connectivity. For example, a misalignmentbetween an optical fiber and a PIC of 1-2 microns (μm) would result in asignal loss of about 3 db. Furthermore, the alignment is now performedwith expensive equipment or labor-intensive assembly solutions. As aresult, a mass production of PICs and/or optical couplers is notfeasible.

It would therefore be advantageous to provide a fiber-to-chip opticalcoupling solution that would overcome the deficiencies of the existingsolutions.

SUMMARY

A summary of several example embodiments of the disclosure follows. Thissummary is provided for the convenience of the reader to provide a basicunderstanding of such embodiments and does not wholly define the breadthof the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of allcontemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key orcritical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any orall embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one ormore embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription that is presented later. For convenience, the term someembodiments may be used herein to refer to a single embodiment ormultiple embodiments of the disclosure.

The disclosure relates in various embodiments to an optical coupler forcoupling an optical fiber to a photonic integrated circuit (PIC). Theoptical coupler comprises a first curved mirror included in a firstsubstrate layer of the PIC and at a first predefined lateral distancefrom an optical transceiver associated with the PIC; a second curvedmirror included in a second substrate layer and placed at a secondpredefined lateral distance from the optical fiber; and a spacer locatedbetween the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer.

The disclosure also relates in various embodiments to a photonic plugcomprising a plurality of optical couplers enabling optical connectivitybetween a plurality of optical fibers and a photonic integrated circuit(PIC) dispose on a first substrate layer, wherein each of the pluralityof optical couplers include a second substrate layer, at least oneoptical focusing element, a tilted flat mirror, a fiber trench etched inthe second substrate layer, and a spacer located between the firstsubstrate layer and the second substrate layer.

The disclosure also relates in various embodiments to a method formanufacturing an optical coupler for coupling an optical fiber to aphotonic integrated circuit (PIC). The method comprises: fabricating, ina first substrate layer, a first curved mirror, wherein the firstsubstrate layer is part of the PIC; fabricating, in a second substratelayer, a second curved mirror; and disposing a spacer between the firstsubstrate layer and the second substrate layer.

The disclosure also relates in various embodiments to a photonicintegrated circuit (PIC) package comprising a first substrate layerincluding at least a first curved mirror; a second substrate layerincluding at least a second curved mirror; and a spacing layer couplingbetween the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer.

The disclosure also relates in various embodiments to an opticalconnector for optical coupling a plurality of optical fibers to aphotonic integrated circuit (PIC), comprising: a plurality of fibertrenches; a plurality of tiled flat mirrors; and a plurality of opticalfocusing elements; wherein each of the plurality of fiber trenchesadjoins a corresponding titled flat mirror of the plurality of titledflat mirrors; and wherein each of the plurality of titled flat mirrorsis placed in proximity to a corresponding optical focusing element ofthe plurality of optical focusing elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter disclosed herein is particularly pointed out anddistinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification.The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of thedisclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a fiber-to-chip optical coupler constructedaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the “fiber side” of the disclosed arrangementaccording to one embodiment.

FIGS. 3A through 3D illustrate a fiber trench according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a chip-to-fiber optical coupler utilized as awaveguide arranged according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram utilized to describe the fiber-to-chip opticalcoupler according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is important to note that the embodiments disclosed herein are onlyexamples of the many advantageous uses of the innovative teachingsherein. In general, statements made in the specification of the presentapplication do not necessarily limit any of the various claimedembodiments. Moreover, some statements may apply to some inventivefeatures but not to others. In general, unless otherwise indicated,singular elements may be in plural and vice versa with no loss ofgenerality. In the drawings, like numerals refer to like parts throughseveral views.

By way of example to the various disclosed embodiments, an adaptiveoptical coupling solution that provides efficient and scalablefiber-to-chip and chip-to-fiber optical connections is presented. Thechip includes, but is not limited to, a photonic integrated circuit(PIC). The fiber in the “fiber-to-chip and chip-to-fiber optical”connections can be an optical fiber, a laser, or any type of lightsource and/or light drain. The scalability of the disclosed opticalcoupler or (a photonic plug) is achieved due to its optical arrangementthat provides high tolerance alignment and a passive positioning of theoptical coupler, thus the optical fiber with respect to the PIC.Therefore, the disclosed optical coupler can be mass-produced. Incertain embodiments, the disclosed optical coupler allows for compactand secured packaging of PICs. In a further embodiment, the disclosedoptical coupler solution provides integrality with flip-chiparrangement. The various disclosed embodiments are discussed in detailbelow.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a fiber-to-chip optical coupler 100 constructedaccording to one embodiment. The optical coupler 100 provides an opticalconnection between a PIC 110 and an optical fiber 120. In an embodiment,the optical coupler 100 includes a spacer 130 connected between the PIC110 and the optical fiber 120, a first curved mirror 140, a secondcurved mirror 150, and a tilted flat mirror 160. The optical coupler 100may also include a fiber trench (not shown in FIG. 1).

The optical fiber 120 and the coupler 100 are stacked under a substratelayer 170. Specifically, as will be discussed below, the second curvedmirror 150 and the tilted flat mirror 160 are fabricated in thesubstrate 170. The substrate 170 may be the same or a different type asof the substrate of the PIC 110. In an exemplary embodiment, thesubstrate layer 170 may be made of silicon oxide (SiO₂), plastic, andthe like. In another embodiment, the second curved mirror 150 and thetilted flat mirror 160 are fabricated (and included) in the spacer 130and not the substrate 170.

According to one embodiment, the material of the spacer 130 may be anytransparent and non-conductive material, such as glass,polydimethylsiloxane, air, or any other index matching materials. Theheight of the spacer 130 determines, in part, the efficiency of thelight beam (optical signal) that propagates through the spacer 130.Specifically, the higher the spacer 130 is, the more the coupler 100 iserror-prone to rotation and leveling errors between the PIC 110 and thecoupler 100. In an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, the height ofthe spacer 130 is set to 300 μm.

The tilted flat mirror 160 is utilized to direct a light beam from theoptical fiber 120 to the first curved mirror 140 and/or from the firstcurved mirror 140 to the optical fiber 120. This allows for placement ofthe optical fiber 120 parallel to the PIC 110. The tilted flat mirror160 is formed by means of anisotropic grayscale etching and tilted at apredefined angle. The angle is determined respective of the optical pathbetween the optical fiber 120 and the first curved mirror 140. Incertain implementations, the tilted flat mirror 160 is optional. As anon-limiting example, when the optical fiber 110-is replaced with alaser, then the light can be easily directed to the second curved mirror150, thus the flat mirror 160 is not required in such an arrangement.

As illustrated, the first and second curved mirrors 140 and 150 arecollimated mirrors placed at opposite directions to each other.Specifically, the first curved mirror 140 is placed at the “PIC side”while the second curved mirror 150 is placed at the “fiber side”. Thisarrangement allows for separation of the optical fiber 120 from the PIC110, thereby gaining high and relaxed alignment tolerances (atthree-dimensions). In an embodiment, the positioning and creation of thefirst and second curved mirrors 140 and 150 is performed on thesubstrate of the PIC 110 and on the substrate layer 170 using a similarphotolithography process such as, but not limited to, grayscalelithography. In an embodiment, the placement on the tilted flat mirror160, the curved mirror 150, and the fiber trenches are placed using thesame lithography mask alignment accuracy. In another embodiment, theplacement on the tilted flat mirror 160 and the curved mirror 150 areplaced using a first lithography mask alignment accuracy, and the fibertrenches are placed using a second lithography mask alignment accuracy.

Further, the first and second curved mirrors 140 and 150 are placed andcreated during fabrication, which ensures high accuracy positioning andaccurate reflective mirrors. As a non-limiting example, the fabricationprocess utilized to create the mirrors may include aSilicon-On-Insulator (SOI), complementary metal-oxide semiconductor(CMOS), and the like.

The first and second curved mirrors 140 and 150 are fabricated by twodifferent processes and optionally at two different fabricationfacilities (fabs), but using the same or substantially similar grayscalelithography process. This ensures high accuracy of the mirrors and theirassembly to create the optical coupler. Furthermore, by fabricating andplacing the first and second curved mirrors 140 and 150 on thesubstrates, the optical fiber 120 is separated from the PIC 110, therebyallowing relaxed alignment tolerances in 3-dimenstions. That is, even ifthe “fiber side” of the optical coupler 100 is not perfectly alignedwith the PIC 110, the optical signal is not significantly attenuated.

The disclosed arrangement of the optical coupler 100 achieves highsignal efficiency with a relaxed alignment between the PIC 110 and thelight beam source and/or drain due to the specific locations and shapeof the first and second curved mirrors 140 and 150 placed against eachother. The locations of the first and second curved mirrors 140 and 150are determined at least with respect to the source/drain light beam.This allows the light beam to be reflected from the first and secondcurved mirrors 140 and 150. Specifically, the first and second curvedmirrors 140 and 150 are shaped in such a way that all light beams fromthe source are reflected and collimated at a certain angle at a centerof the first curved mirror 140 and focused to a drain after the secondcurved mirror 150. The design of the first and second curved mirrors 140and 150 is described in further detail with respect to FIG. 5.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the first curved mirror 140reflects a diverging light beam 180-1 from the optical fiber 120 (viathe tilted flat mirror 160) into parallel light beams 180-2. The lightbeams 180-2 reach the second curved mirror 150 which reflects a focusedlight beam 180-3 back to the PIC's 110 transceiver -115. The sameoptical path is true for a light beam transmitted by the transceiver-115. The embodiment for designing the coupler 100 is discussed withreference to FIG. 6. It should be noted that all light beams 180 travelto the spacer 130.

It should be noted the optical coupler 100 discussed with referenced toFIG. 1 allows a connection between a single fiber and the PIC 110.However, in a typical arrangement, a plurality of couplers 100 can beutilized to connect a plurality of optical fiber to the PIC 110.

As noted above, the optical fiber 120 is attached to the coupler 100using a fiber trench. This arrangement is further illustrated in FIG. 2which shows an exemplary and non-limiting top view of the “fiber side”of the disclosed arrangement. FIG. 2 illustrates four (4) fiber trenches210-1 through 210-4 (hereinafter referred to individually as a fibertrench 210 and collectively as fiber trenches 210, merely for simplicitypurposes). Each fiber trench 210 adjoins a tilted flat mirror 220. Thefiber trench 210 is shaped as a groove etched in the substrate layer170. Each of the tilted flat mirrors 220-1 through 220-4 is oriented asthe tilted flat mirror (160) shown in FIG. 1. As demonstrated in FIG. 2,optical fibers 230-1 and 230-2 are placed in the fiber trenches 210-3and 210-4, respectively.

Also illustrated in FIG. 2, are four curved mirrors 150-1 through 150-4.Each of the curved mirrors 150 is oriented as the second curved mirror(150) shown in FIG. 1. It should be noted that only 2 optical fibers230-1 and 230-2 are shown in FIG. 2 merely for illustrative purposes.Other numbers of optical fibers may be utilized without departing fromthe scope of the disclosed embodiments. The exemplary arrangement shownin FIG. 2 can support coupling of four optical fibers to a PIC (notshown). It should be noted that the number of optical fibers that can besupported can be greater than four. It should be further noted that thefiber trenches illustrated in FIG. 2 are shaped as V-grooves, however,any type of groove shape can be utilized, such as square, cylinder,diamond, and the like.

The process for creating a fiber trench 210 is further described withreference to FIGS. 3A through 3D. FIG. 3A is a side view of thesubstrate layer 170. At first, only the curved mirror 150 is placed onthe substrate layer 170. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, a groove is etchedin the substrate layer 170 to create the fiber trench 210. Finally, anoptical fiber 120 is placed in the fiber trench 210 (FIG. 3C). FIG. 3Dshows a side view of the substrate layer 170 with the attached opticalfiber 120. It should be noted that the arrangement shown in FIG. 3D isflipped relative to the arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a chip-to-fiber optical coupler 400 utilized asa waveguide arranged according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, thePIC 410 is flipped and placed on an interposer 420 which serves as aspacer (similar to, e.g., the spacer 130) of the coupler 400. Theinterposer 420 is an electrical interface routing from one connection toanother in order to spread a connection to a wider pitch or to re-routea connection 421 to a different connection.

Also coupled to the interposer 420 is an integrated circuit (IC) 430including only electrical elements. The connection between the IC 430and a PIC circuit board (PCB) 440 is through vias 450. The opticalconnection between the PIC 410 and the optical fiber 460 is achieved bymeans of the coupler 400. The coupler 400 is constructed as discussed ingreater detail herein above with reference to FIG. 1. That is, thecoupler 400 includes a pair of curved mirrors 401 and 402, as well as atilted flat mirror 403. It should be noted that the single mounting by astandard electronics method (flip-chip on an interposer) provides thePIC 410 with electrical and optical connectivity required for itsoperation. The interposer 420 is made of a material that is transparentto the wave length of the light beam.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram utilized to describe the fiber-to-chipoptical coupler 500 according to an embodiment. The optical coupler 500includes a first curved mirror 501, a second curved mirror 502, a tiltedflat mirror 503, and a spacer 504. In this example, a drain 510 is anoptical fiber and a transmitter 521 of a PIC 520 is the source of thelight beam.

A few adjustable parameters determine the design of the coupler 500: aspacer height, main propagation angles (α, β, γ), the propagation mediumtype of the spacer 504, and a target tolerance for misalignment.

The beam's radius is determined by the beam's radius at the source 521,the medium in which the beam propagates, and the wavelength. First, theangle of divergence (θ) is selected as the angle where the intensity ofthe light beam is 1% of the intensity at the center of the beam. Then,in an exemplary embodiment, the main propagation angles (α, β, γ) areset to meet the following constraints:

α+β>θ

α=β=γ

Typically, the value of θ is 8°-12°. It should be noted that otherconstraints may be set to different target tolerances. As noted above,the spacer height L is set respective of the allowed tolerance forrotation and leveling errors. In an exemplary embodiment, L equals 300μm.

In an embodiment, the first and second curved mirrors 501 and 502 aredesigned so that their respective centers are located where the mainpropagation axis intersects each mirror. Specifically, the mirrors aredesigned such that the center of the second curved mirror 502 is at adistance D₁ from the source 521. In an embodiment, the distance D₁ iscomputed as follows:

D1=L×tan(α)+L×tan(β);

The center of the first curved mirror 501 is at a distance D₂ from thedrain 510. In an embodiment, the distance D₂ is computed as follows:

D2=L×tan(γ)+L×tan(θ)

Further, the lateral distance, in a 0 μm misalignment, between the firstand second curved mirrors 501 and 502 is computed as follows:

L×tan(β)

In an embodiment, the first and second curved mirrors 501 and 502 areshaped in such a way that all light beams from the source 521 arereflected and collimated at the angle β after the first curved mirror501 and focused to the drain 510 after reflecting from the second curvedmirror 502. The surfaces of the first and second curved mirrors 501 and502 are large enough to cover the divergence axis. It should be notedthat all calculations are performed as 0 misalignment conditions.

The various optical couplers have been discussed herein with a referenceto a specific embodiment with the curved mirrors are utilized forpropagating light beams. However, the disclosed embodiments can berealized using other reflective or focusing elements, such as opticallenses, zone plates (e.g., Fresnel zone plates), and the like.

It should be understood that any reference to an element herein using adesignation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not generallylimit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, thesedesignations are generally used herein as a convenient method ofdistinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element.Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that onlytwo elements may be employed there or that the first element mustprecede the second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwisea set of elements comprises one or more elements. In addition,terminology of the form “at least one of A, B, or C” or “one or more ofA, B, or C” or “at least one of the group consisting of A, B, and C” or“at least one of A, B, and C” used in the description or the claimsmeans “A or B or C or any combination of these elements.” For example,this terminology may include A, or B, or C, or A and B, or A and C, or Aand B and C, or 2A, or 2B, or 2C, and so on.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended forpedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principlesof the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor tofurthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitationto such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, allstatements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of theinvention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended toencompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function,regardless of structure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An optical connector for optical coupling aplurality of optical fibers to a photonic integrated circuit (PIC),comprising: a plurality of fiber trenches; and a plurality of tiled flatmirrors; wherein each of the plurality of fiber trenches adjoins acorresponding titled flat mirror of the plurality of titled flatmirrors; and wherein each of the plurality of titled flat mirrors isplaced in proximity to a corresponding optical focusing element of theplurality of optical focusing elements.
 2. The optical connector ofclaim 1, further comprising: a plurality of optical focusing elements.3. The optical connector of claim 2, wherein the plurality of fibertrenches, the plurality of tiled flat mirrors; and the plurality ofoptical focusing elements are fabricated on the same substrate.
 4. Theoptical connector of claim 3, wherein the plurality of fiber trenches,the plurality of tiled flat mirrors; and the plurality of opticalfocusing elements are fabricated on different substrates.
 5. The opticalconnector of claim 3, wherein the plurality of fiber trenches, theplurality of tiled flat mirrors; and the plurality of optical focusingelements are placed on the substrate using a substantially similar alithography technique.
 6. The optical connector of claim 1, wherein eachof the plurality of optical fibers is disposed in a corresponding thefiber trench.
 7. The optical connector of claim 5, wherein each of theoptical focusing elements is placed at a second predefined lateraldistance from a corresponding optical fiber.
 8. The optical connector ofclaim 1, wherein each of the plurality of fiber trenches is shaped atleast as a V-groove.
 9. The optical connector of claim 1, wherein eachof the plurality of fiber trenches is shaped as any one of: a square, acylinder, and a diamond.
 10. The optical connector of claim 1, whereineach of the plurality of fiber trenches is shaped as any one of: asquare, a cylinder, and a diamond.
 11. The optical connector of claim 1,wherein each of the plurality of tilted flat mirrors is tilted at apredefined angle.
 12. The optical connector of claim 1, wherein each ofthe plurality of the optical focusing elements is at least a curvedmirror.
 13. The optical connector of claim 10, wherein each of theplurality of the optical focusing elements is designed to convert aparallel light beam to a focused light beam directed to a drain at thePIC.
 14. The optical connector of claim 13, wherein the optical fiberincludes a laser.
 15. The optical connector of claim 1, wherein each ofthe corresponding tilted flat mirrors is utilized to direct a light beamfrom an optical fiber disposed in the corresponding fiber trench
 16. Theoptical connector of claim 13, wherein the optical fiber is a lightdrain.
 17. The optical connector of claim 1, wherein each of thecorresponding tilted flat mirrors is utilized to direct a light beam toan optical fiber disposed in the corresponding fiber trench.